Town holds hearings on grants

No public comments were voiced during two brief public hearings held on Dec. 21 at the Sparta Town Hall regarding grants to assist local businesses. A second set of hearings will be held on the matters at the town’s regular council meeting on Jan. 4, 2005 at 7 p.m.

The grant funding in question would help fund a water line extension to Truline Truss and BCB Trucking on U.S. 21 south and also help fund a new business access on N.C. 18 for Tri-State Components and Hometown Fuel.

BCB and Truline have been trying to get access to town utilities for a number of years. Owner Clint Bedsaul has told local officials that the lack of utility service to the businesses is hampering their growth.

The entrance issue came up after John Miller of Tri-State Components decided to move his truss and utility building business to a new location on a lot on N.C. 18 south of Sparta. Also co-locating with him will be Graylen Blevins’ fuel company, Hometown Fuel.

Water Line Extension

“We have an estimated cost for that project (a water line extension that would run from Four Brothers Texaco on U.S. 21 South to BCB Trucking and Truline Truss) to be approximately $240,000,” Town Manager Bryan Edwards told the council members at the hearing Dec. 21. “That will require 16 jobs,” he added, referring to the amount of additional employees that would need to be added at the businesses to fulfill grant funding requirements.

However, Edwards said the grant funding, from the Community Development Block Grant program, administered by Region D Council of Governments, is limited to manufacturing and administrative jobs.

Two separate discussions were held between Edwards, Alleghany County Manager Don Adams and Garret Wycoff, with the N.C. Department of Commerce in Raleigh. Wycoff, who was present earlier in the day to discuss the benefits available through community development block grant, later told local officials that truck drivers would not be included in the job creation requirements for the grant funding. Under current estimates for the cost of the project, about 16 new jobs would need to be created.

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